The present invention relates generally to devices for use in exercise and acrobatics. Stated more particularly, this patent discloses and protects a mobile spring board construction for enabling exercise and the practice of aerial board maneuvers.
It will be appreciated that snowboarding, skateboarding, wakeboarding, surfing, and other board sports provide participants with fun and exercise in a wide variety of environments and conditions. In each boarding sport, the participant communicates along a supporting surface, whether it be snow, water, pavement, or another surface, by sliding, rolling, or the like while twisting, turning, and, quite often, briefly xe2x80x98catching airxe2x80x99 thereby enabling the performance of aerial maneuvers and tricks.
In each sport, the participant or prospective participant will normally wish to precondition his or her muscles to enable the athlete to participate effectively in the sport and, ideally, to execute the often physically and athletically demanding tricks and maneuvers involved therein. Furthermore, the participating athlete will often hope to practice and perfect the challenging tricks and maneuvers involved in his or her particular sport even when participation in the actual sport is not possible. For example, while a snowboarder might very much desire to be able to practice aerial tricks and maneuvers in the summertime or while away from the slope, the ability to do so has heretofore been unavailable. Still further, many persons may simply seek to participate in and indeed develop challenging and novel forms of exercise, sport, and recreation without necessarily gearing the exercise, sport, and recreation toward participation in any other sport.
As one knowledgeable in the art will be well aware, the prior art is replete with a variety of devices intended to enable the user to jump, bounce, exercise, and, at least nominally, to practice aerial maneuvers. One common type of prior art bouncing arrangement comprises a pair of separate boots each with a spring arrangement coupled thereto. While useful in providing the user with exercise, these individual bouncing boot arrangements do not enable a participant to simulate and practice with any realism the maneuvers and tricks involved in boarding activities where both feet are disposed on a unitary structure. Other bouncing arrangements have been disclosed employing skateboard-type boards with spring-loaded telescoping members projecting from the lower surface of the board. Such arrangements have proven to be disadvantageously limited in their durability and bouncing ability while also being relatively complex in structure and operation. As a result, the practicing of aerial maneuvers and tricks employing such structures is effectively prevented. At least one other inventor has proposed employing a snowboard variant relative to a trampoline for bouncing and practicing aerial maneuvers. However, not only must the user of such an arrangement purchase or otherwise gain access to a trampoline, the user is limited to bouncing on only in a predetermined location, namely the very central portion of the trampoline. Furthermore, he or she must assemble and disassemble the trampoline while also providing a location for setting it up and bouncing on it.
In light of the above-described state of the art, it becomes clear that a bouncing arrangement that would enable the realistic practice and simulation of aerial board maneuvers and tricks would be of great utility not only to actual or prospective participants in board sports but also to those simply seeking an advantageous and novel form of exercise and recreation.
Advantageously, the present invention is founded on the most broadly stated object of providing a mobile spring board construction that meets one or more of the needs left by the prior art while providing a number of heretofore unrealized advantages thereover.
A more particular object of certain embodiments of the invention is to provide a mobile spring board construction that enables a user to bounce and to engage in aerial maneuvers and tricks.
A related object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a mobile spring board construction that enables users to simulate and practice aerial maneuvers and tricks commonly undertaken in board activities, such as snowboarding.
A further related object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a mobile spring board construction that enables users to develop a form of exercise, sport, and amusement that is novel in its own right.
In certain embodiments, another object of the invention is to provide a mobile spring board construction that enables a user to bounce bound, and maneuver to significant heights above a ground surface.
A further object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a mobile spring board construction that can be used in a wide variety of terrains and conditions.
Yet another object of embodiments of the invention is to provide a mobile spring board construction that demonstrates durability while remaining relatively simple in construction and orientation.
An even further object of certain embodiments of the invention is to provide a mobile spring board construction that is stable and safe in operation.
Still another object of particular embodiments of the invention is to provide a mobile spring board construction that can be adapted to varying capacities to accommodate different users and varied user abilities and goals.
These and further objects and advantages of the invention will become obvious not only to one who reviews the present specification and drawings but also to one who has an opportunity to make use of an embodiment of the present invention for a mobile spring board construction. However, it will be appreciated that, although the accomplishment of each of the foregoing objects in a single embodiment of the invention may be possible and indeed preferred, not all embodiments will seek or need to accomplish each and every potential object and advantage. Nonetheless, all such embodiments should be considered within the scope of the present invention.
In carrying forth these and further objects, a most basic embodiment of the mobile spring board construction is founded on a board member that has an upper surface, a lower surface, a first end, and a second end. Means, such as individual bindings, are provided for receiving each of the first and second feet of the user relative to the board member. At least a first spring unit, which can be formed by upper and lower arcuate spring members joined in an opposing relationship, is coupled to the board member. Under even this most basic arrangement, a user can dispose both feet on the board member of the mobile spring board construction to enable him or her to bounce thereon by inducing a deflection of the upper and lower arcuate spring members of the first spring unit.
Each of the upper and lower arcuate members can have a first end, a second end, and an arcuate mid-portion, and the spring unit can be coupled to the board member by a coupling of the mid-portion of the upper arcuate spring member with the board member. The means for receiving the first and second feet of the user can be open areas on the upper surface of the board member in combination with means, such as straps, for retaining the feet of the user. The open areas can simply comprise portions of the upper surface of the board member, or they could comprise first and second footplates each possibly having a peripheral wall.
A second, similarly constructed spring unit could additionally be coupled to the board member. In such a case, the upper and lower arcuate spring members of the spring units can be disposed in a generally parallel relationship to one another and perpendicular to a longitudinal dimension of the board member. The board member can be a unitary member of, for example, a high impact plastic, and it can have a plurality of apertures therethrough.
The ends of the upper and lower arcuate members can be coupled in any one of a variety of ways. Under one construction, the first and second ends can be fixed together by first and second encasements that mutually envelope at least a portion of the respective first and second ends of each of the upper and lower arcuate spring members. Within the encasements, the first and second ends of the upper arcuate spring member could overhang the first and second ends of the lower arcuate spring member. The encasements can be formed from any suitable material including, by way of example, a volume of polymeric material. For added structural integrity, at least one surface variation chosen from the group consisting of an aperture, an indentation, and a protuberance can be disposed in or on each of the first and second ends of each of the upper and lower arcuate spring members within the first and second encasements.
The upper and lower arcuate spring members can be formed from any appropriate material, such as metal, plastic, a composite, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. Under one construction of the mobile spring board, the upper and lower arcuate spring members can be formed from a composite structural material of plastic and fiberglass. For added traction and stability, traction members can be fixed to the mid-portions of the lower arcuate spring members of the spring units. Still further, the performance of the mobile spring board construction can be modified by a refinement of the shapes of the upper and lower arcuate spring members. For example, the upper and lower arcuate spring members can vary in width and thickness to have mid-portions that are wider and thicker than their first and second ends.
One will appreciate that the foregoing discussion broadly outlines the more important features of the invention to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventor""s contribution to the art. Before an embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction, descriptions of geometry, and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of the many possible manifestations of the invention.